Sailing through the Red Sea, from Egypt to Sudan, the water got clearer, the fish more plentiful, the coast more deserted. Then we reached the extraordinary coral city of Suakin. For centuries this old city has been crumbling, eroded by wind, rain and sea. Coral is not an ideal building material. Living among the ruins, in immaculate shanty lean-tos or plastic and corrugated iron shacks are some of the friendliest and most inquisitive people we have met during our sojourn by boat.